Will Hartwell succeed where others have failed?

It should be interesting to see how former Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons inside linebacker Ed Hartwell does lining up for the Cincinnati Bengals this season, provided his iffy health holds up.

Hartwell recently signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract to wear the striped helmet with pride.

When he was in Baltimore, Hartwell never hid the fact that he resented his lack of star status and was extremely jealous of Ray Lewis' tackle statistics. Hartwell repeatedly claimed that he was robbed of tackles by statisticians during games and coaches during film reviews.

Hartwell is a very nice guy and a gritty tackler when healthy, but he had an unhealthy chip on his shoulder about that perceived snub and really needed to get over it.

Hopefully, it's all behind him now.

It's unproductive to hold grudges, even when it feels justified.

Hartwell was usually hurt and didn't produce at all in Atlanta. Certainly not up to the expectations of a $25 million contract. Now, he gets a third chance with Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, the former Finksburg resident.
Hello Finksburg!

Always wanted to say that.

I've got to hand it to Big Ed, though. He had one of the best recruiting lines ever for a departing free agent when he told us that if you love the wires in your wall or the engine in your car that a football team would love Ed Hartwell, the helpful, hard-hitting hardware man.

Gotta love Hartwell's alma mater, Western Illinois, for having the best nickname in college sports outside of the Ragin' Cajuns formerly of Southwestern Louisiana. The sports teams at WIU, in Normal, Ill., where it's, um, normal I guess, are called the Leathernecks.

But I digress.

Meanwhile, it seems like defensive players who leave Baltimore as free agents never seem to blossom elsewhere. Re: Duane Starks, Hartwell, Sam Adams, Kim Herring, Corey Harris, Will Demps, Keith Washington and Lional Dalton, among others.

Jury's still out on Maake Kemoeatu, who might pan out pretty well for the Carolina Panthers, and Tony Weaver of the Houston Texans. Plus, Marques Douglas has done pretty well with the San Francisco 49ers as an undersized, run-stopping defensive tackle.

Here's a safe bet: All-Pro linebacker Adalius Thomas will find success with Bill Belichick's New England Patriots. If anything, he'll represent the exception to the rule about ex-Ravens defensive free agents.

Aaron Wilson covers the Baltimore Ravens for the Carroll County Times in Westminster, Maryland

OWINGS MILLS -- The NFL is finally starting to get serious about assisting the tired, the ailing and the tragically disabled

No, it's not another admirable outreach with the United Way.This is a series of new initiatives designed to assist broken-down retired players in desperate need of medical care. Guys like retired Baltimore Colts legendary tight end John Mackey, who suffers from acute dementia.

At the league meetings in Nashville, Tenn., NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced that: "All of us in the NFL want to help former players that now find themselves in need of medical care through no fault of their own. We are trying to determine how we can creatively approach the medical issues of former players and guarantee their access to high-quality medical care at reasonable cost.

"In January, the league was rightfully embarrassed by an outcry from retired players who complained that the NFL wasn't doing nearly enough to help them with their inadequate pensions and disability payments. Plus, there have been several disturbing revelations on HBO's "Real Sports," detailing the plight of retired football players.

Many of them are in wheelchairs. Some of them no longer remember their families or their football-playing days due to severe brain damage.One nearly disabled tough guy, Conrad "They Call Me Dirty" Dobler, said if his standard of living decreases any further, he'll seriously contemplate ending it all with a gunshot to the head.

Grimly, Dobler said, "They shoot horses, don't they?"

So, the NFL has formed an alliance with the NFL Players Association, NFL Retired Players Association, NFL Alumni Association, NFL charities and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Just as important, the league is going to require neuropsychological baseline testing for all players starting this year. There will also be a whistle blower system to allow anonymous reporting from doctors being pressured to clear players back onto the field following a concussion or players with concussions being pressured to play by the team.This is likely a direct response to former New England Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson's controversial situation where he claims he was forced back onto the field by Patriots coach Bill Belichick shortly after suffering a debilitating concussion.

Is the NFL doing enough? Probably not. Especially in terms of helping guys out with financial problems who are unable to work due to permanent disability.At least the league is beginning to wake up, though. They really needed to.Especially in light of the death of former Philadelphia Eagles safety Andre Waters, whose history of concussions allegedly played a role in his depression that prompted him to commit suicide.

The league needs to take part openly in a study of deceased players' brains, a ground-breaking medical research project that could save lives.I met Waters when I was a rookie sportswriter in Brooksville, Fla., interviewing him at the football camp of his late, former All-Pro teammate, Jerome Brown.Although Waters had an intimidating reputation on the field and was dubbed "Dirty Waters" as a renowned cheap-shot artist, he was a very nice guy away from football who was just getting into coaching when I met him.

It's a real shame to see what happens to these football heroes when they can no longer run, block or tackle.Baltimore Ravens linebacker Bart Scott reflected on the sad state of affairs at a voluntary minicamp Tuesday.

"Wow, these guys are the guys who laid the foundation," Scott said. "It's because of those guys that I'm able to sit here and make the type of living that I make. I feel bad for those guys, anyone who has bled for this game or this league who's doing bad now.

"A lot of those guys are Hall of Famers and great players who put a lot on the line for us and for this league when it wasn't the most popular league in the country. I hope we can get something done to assist those guys in whatever way we can."

OWINGS MILLS -- At first glance, it might appear to the untrained eye that the Baltimore Ravens still have a gaping hole at outside linebacker created by All-Pro Adalius Thomas' departure.

However, Thomas' migration to the New England Patriots isn't going to necessarily curtail production dramatically at this critical position for the defending AFC North champions.

Yes, new starter Jarret Johnson lacks the elite mobility and athleticism that Thomas possesses. He's a hard-nosed, blue-collar converted Alabama defensive end who's very good against the run and won't embarrass himself in short-area coverage
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He was an excellent pass rusher for the Crimson Tide, but that has only translated into three career sacks in limited pass rushing opportunities in the NFL. It's unclear if he's going to be more than a five to six sack guy annually as a starter.

The Ravens might lose some sack production with Thomas leaving, but I don't think they're going to suffer against the run because Johnson is a very good run-stopper. Judging from his condition at last week's minicamp, Johnson has gotten himself into lean, mean shape. Including a much shorter haircut.

On third downs, he's going to need some help, though – at least some of the time.

That means a more multi-faceted role for Pro Bowl inside linebacker Bart Scott in terms of pass coverage and blitzing even more than last year when he led all NFL inside linebackers in sacks. As a former dime back and college safety, Scott is the best candidate to make up for Thomas' loss in specialized situations where he thrived because of his ability to morph seamlessly between outside linebacker, safety and defensive end.

Plus, the Ravens can employ third-year outside linebacker/defensive end Dan Cody as a situational pass rusher. After two-injury plagued seasons, Cody is finally healthy. He informed me that he's bigger and stronger than ever and he didn't appear to favor his knees at minicamp. His mobility looked like it's all the way back.

Obviously, the former Oklahoma star has to hold up physically to produce at an optimal level. The Ravens are banking on that happening this year.

Meanwhile, rookie outside linebacker Antwan Barnes represents an X-factor in reserve. At 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, Barnes has 4.45 speed, fastest among all incoming rookie linebackers, and did 31 bench presses of 225 pounds. Although he might cut his teeth on special teams, the Ravens have plans for him as a pass rusher and want to see how he handles his special-teams assignments before they get him on the field defensively.

There's a big upside with Barnes. This kid is definitely hungry.

Veteran special teams ace Gary Stills has proven pass rush skills, but is up there in years. He still has the skills to get to the quarterback, but it might be asking a lot of him to bust the wedge and burst past offensive tackles on a regular basis. He's still one of the top athletes and toughest guys on this team.

Bottom line: It takes more than one man to replace Adalius Thomas, but the Ravens appear to have the right people to do so collectively. They also have the right coach in defensive coordinator Rex Ryan to get the most out of the available personnel.

One more thing to keep in mind: If the NFL's top-ranked defense does take a half-step or full step back at one position, will it be a noticeable drop off?

The smart money says, 'Nope.'